Auxiliary socket connection



Feb. 7, 192s.

C. E. GQDLEY AUXILIARY SOCKET CONNECTION ..II I

Filed Feb.28, 1925 Patented Feb. 7,1928. i

UNITED STATES 1,658,231 PATENT oFFl'ca.l

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOBWBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOC. M. -HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

AUXILIARY SOCKET CONNECTION.

My invention relates to means for affording a circuit connection from a wire terminal -of a lamp socket or the like, and in one of its general aspects ,aims to provide a simple arrangement of parts `whereby a perma- 'nently' effective connection of ample carrying capacity can readily be made without depending upon screws, nuts, solder or the like for connecting these parts .to each other;

also for affording such connections to parts of such a relativelysmall size as would not readily permit the effective use of threaded fastening elements.

In providing circuit conductors for combination lamps of the automobile type, considerable difficulty has been encountered in the securing of the desired carrying capacity` and :firmness of connections made to parts of sockets or connectors without either employin solder or else requiring an unusually high egree ofskill and accuracy on the part of those who-do the assembling. Moreover, since the sockets or connector used in. automobile lamps are vcommonly made in factories other-than those making the lamps in connection with which they are to be used, it is desirable to have such sockets or connectors reach the lamp factories in completelyfassembled form. It is also desirable that the needed auxiliary circuit connections should be so constructed that they can be made to such sockets ory connectors by y comparatively inexperienced helpers in the lamp factories.

and connection arrangement meeting these requirements, although I do not wish to be limited lto its employment in connection with automobile lamps, as it might'obviously be 40 utilized for numerous other purposes.

In some of its more particular aspects, my

" by the mere fastening of the connecting member to a suitable support. It ,also provides a desirable arrangement for this purpose in which a forked end of a connecting member straddles a suitably formed part of 'My present invention provides a socket the wire terminal, and in which this straddling prevents movement-of the connecting member in various directions, thereby per' mitting a single fastening element to be employed both for securing the connecting member in proper position and for preventingthis member from moving into contact with other metallic parts. Furthermore, my invention provides a connection of this' kind which can be advantageously employed in a simple and inexpensive single-piece form for making a direct circuit connection from a wire terminal member of a socket to a lamp bulb spaced. from the socket. Still further and also more detailed objects will appear fromthe following specification and lfrom the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a section through a portion of a combination lamp for automobile use, showing the employment of my invention for making a direct connection from an auxil- .iary Wire terminal of a lamp Socket to a lamp supported by means other than the said socket.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the support for both lamps and for the auxiliary circuitconnection, taken from the left-hand side of Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the connectingmember employed in the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation yof the forked end ofthe connecting member of Fig. 3, with dotted lines showing the initial position of the main part of this member whenl initially disposed lin operative relation to a ortion of a' circuit-terminah'and with full llnes showing the position to which this part is iexed when it is secured to a suitably disposed support. Y

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the lamp part illustrated in Fig. 2,'l drawn on a smaller scale.

In the drawings, I am showing my invention as applied to .an automobile lamp, of

the general type disclosed in mv copending`l application No. 719,916, filed June 13,1924, on a combination tail lamp. In lamps of this class, it is customer to ground one side of the lighting circult to the frame ofthe lamp so as to make a grounded connection to the metal shells of the lamp bases, thereby reqliring the separate circuit connections to e made only to the base terminalsof the tion within the lamp casing, between the two lamp bulbs. In a two-bulb lamp, it is desirable ,also to make both of the controlled circuit connections rom a sin le socket' which extends through the Aback o the lamp casingand which has one of the lamp bulbs supported by its forward end. This can bev done advantageously by initially assembling both of the lamp sockets, together with an interposed circuit connecting member, on a supporting member which is mounted in the lamp casing and which. also forms a partilamp bulbs.

For this purpose, Fig. 1 shows a lamp socket having a shell 1 projecting through the back 2 of the supporting bracket' and holding the lower lamp bulb 3, the controlled circuit connection being made -to the base vterminal of this lower lamp bulb by the plunger of a circuit terminal 4 which extends through an insulating core 5.and

which terminal has its rear' end disposed for engaging one terminal of a two-wire attaching plug 21 interlocked with therear end of the socket shell 1 after thel usual manner.

Toprovide a circuit connection to the base terminal ofthe upper lamp bulb 6, I employl a connecting member formed of resilient metal and having one arm ,7 engaging the base terminall 8 of the upper 4lamp bulb kwhile its other arm 9 is disposed in good conducting relation to a second circuit terminal 10 which also 'extends through the insulating core 5 and which has its rear end disposed for engagement with the other terminal of the vtwo-wire Yattaching plug.`

Thiscan readily be accomplished in4 connection with lam bulbs havin an Vax'ial base terminal by Vdisposing the p unger-carrying 4circuit yterminal 4 at an angle to the axis of. :the core` 5 and the socket shell, so that its- `rear end will be atone side of the said axis,

or below this axis as shown in Fig. 1.

' Owing to the small dimensions in which the bases of the llamp bulbs employed for this class of lighting are commonly constructed and the corresponding small dimensionsl of the socket shells with which such lamp bulbs and the corresponding attaching plugs are -interlocked, the spacing available forf' the companion or auxiliary. circuit terminal 10 is quite limited. Consequently, the di-` i ameter in which .such a terminal 10 can be lland thefmetal socket shell is uitesmall... -Owing to` this fact, the use o clamping screws or the like for securing the connectconstructed while insuring its adequate insulatioii both from the tilted circuit terminal inggmember to such an auxiliary circuit terminal is notfeasible. So a1so,'since the assembled sockets are desirably furnished Ain a completely assembled form to the lamp manufacturers, in which the socket shell interferes with interior parts,

' 'said groove.

a soldering of the: connecting member to the l have the interengaging parts held in firm 4engagement by a flexingr and cramping of '-one arm of the connecting member.

For this purpose, I provide the forward end of theauxiliary circuit terminal 10 with a pair of shoulder formations. These shoulders Kare shown as formed by turning a groove ,near the forward end of the member 10 so as to provide a reduced shank portion 1l extending between the larger diametered head 12 of this member and the correspondingly larger diametered main part of the samc member 10. Then I form the free end of the arm 9 of a thickness somewhat smaller than the width of the said groove, so that this end can readily be slid into the groove.

I also preferably notch the said free end so that it will constitu'tea'fork adapted to straddle the contracted shank 11, thereby disposing the tines 13; of the fork respectively. atopposite sides of the axis of the shank 11. i

Ia'lso 'secure the entire connecting member andi, the socket shelly 1 to their support iii' sucl-relativepositions that the fastening of these .lamp parts'to their supports will iiex the l'anni 9 so as to tilt its forked end oblique to'the'v'axis of the4 auxiliary circuit terminal "1D, thereby causing longitudinally spaced portions of each tine of the fork to bear respectively against the opposite walls of 'the Asjaj'simple method of accomplishing this while also suitably4 insulating the conduct- 'i'i'ig member from the lamp body, I dispose a1 i'.insul ating plate 14 between the upper portion'bf the arm 9 and the back 2 of the supporting member and fasten this arm toi the said 'back by a rivet- 15 which extends slidably through a perforation 16 in the ari'u '9 and which also'extends through a. relatively larger'bo're inthe back 2 of the said support. By having' this rivet extend slidably through an insulating' washer 17 seated in a correspondingly shapegl circular depression in the bckbf. the support, I cause this washer to center the rivetiwith respect to the said aperture-'in the back of the support, thereby maintaining'the rivet in'a predetermined posi- '.ill-'Wth respect to the back, but out of contulct'with the latter. 1 I

Beforel placing this rivet in position, I slip the forked end of the arm 9 into the iio f dling engagement with the shank 11 of the auxiliary circuit terminal, for which purpose the socket shell is provided with an aperture 18 of considerably larger dimensions than the lower end portion of the arm 9, This is done while the socket shell' 1 extends loosely through a collar 19 -formed on the back of the support, which collar slidably tits the socket shell. thus being assembled and While the rivet 15 is being attached, this socket shell is unattached 'to the said support', so that it can be disposed in a position in which the natural shape of the connecting member will loosely fit the groove in the auxiliary circuit 'terminal 10.

After the rivetin has been accomplished, I slide the socket ongitudinally, so as to flex the arm 9 into a position in which this forked endI is tilted out of its former position with respect'to the Vmain part of the arm 9, thereby cramping the said'forked end inthe said groove and causing each tine of the fork to engage one of the two walls of the groove (or the shoulder members on this auxiliary circuit terminal) at points respectively above and below the axis of that member. Thus, in Fig. 4, the relative movement is shown as moving the arm 9 from the position shown in dotted lines, or a position in which the forked end Was loosely slipped into the socket shell and over the shank 11, to a position in which this arm 9 is flexed'so as to effect the said engagement of the tines with. the shoulder formations on the conducting member, the latter position being shown in `full lines in Fig. 4. socket `has, been slid to a position in which iteifects this iexing, it isrigidly secured to the support in any suitable manner, as for example by punchinganindentation 20 in thecollar 19 to such a depth as to indent the socket shell also. h

With the various parts 'thus secured in position, it will be evident from the drawings thatthe single rivet 15 holds a connecting member in operative position, that the said cramping e'ect insures a firm engagement 'between the conducting member andthe terminal 10 at a number of points. As the result, I secure good carrying 'capacity Without requiring anyl soldering; and by utilizin the resiliency of one `member for maintalning thisfirm interengaging, I avoid such troubles'as frequently occur where dependenoe is placed on wire-binding screws. At the same time, `the straddling of the shank 11 by the fork of the connecting member prevents the latter from rotating about the rivet 15, so that this single fastening element suffices to holdthe connect-ing member in `opera-tive position with respect to the. upper lamp bulb.

While the parts are Ato this particular use of ni After the entirethe securin of the socket shell to the support can easily e effected by the Ordinar factory helpersI employed by lamp manu acturers, the sockets can be furnished in completely assembled form from factories better equipped for making them.

However, while I have illustrated and described my invention in connection with a lamp in which two lamp bulbs are supported by a bracket formed separately from the body of the lamp, I do not Wish to be limited invention.

Neither do 'I wish to be limite to the various details of construction and arrangement above disclosed, since many modifications might obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. y 1' I claim as my invention 1. A circuit connection for electric sockets having a circuit terminal member provided with a peripheral. groove comprisingfafresilient metalY member having a forkedend Vdisposed with its arms in the said groove agi. 'respectively opposite sides of the'aaxisfof the grooved portion of the wire terminal member, saidforked end being disposed at an angle to aline drawn at right angles through the axis of the terminal member, and means engaging a part of the resilient member spaced from the said forked end for flexing the resilient member to cause each of the said arms -to engage opposite walls of the said groove.

2. A circuit connection for electric sockets having a circuit terminal member provided with a peripheral groove comprising a resilient metal member having a forked end disposed with its arms in the said groove at respectively opposite sides of the axis of the grooved portion of the wire terminal member, said forked end bein disposed at an angle to a line drawn at ri g it angles through the axis of the terminal member, means engaging a part of the -resilient member spaced from the said forked end for flexing the resilient member to cause each of the said arms to engage` opposite walls of the said groove, and means associated with the resilient member for preventing a withdrawal of the forked end thereof from its said disposition.

3. A circuit connection for an electric socket -having'an insulator mounted in a shell prothe said shoulder formations, of the conducting member, said portion kbeing disposed at aangle to the mam portion of the auxillary oconductor, and means outside the shell for respectively at opposite sides ofthe axis of tilting the said auxiliary conductor so as to force the said portion thereof into cramping engagement with the said shoulder` formations. l Q

4. A circuit connection for a lamp-'socket of the single-pole "type, having a circuit` terminal member engaging the base of a lamp bulb mounted in the socket, and a second circuit terminal member mounted in the socket and having a part thereof provided with a. peripheral groove, comprising a resilient metal member extending -into the socket transversely of the axis of the second wire terminal member and having a forked portion disposed with the arms of the fork extending through the said groove the said part,` said forked portion being disposed at an angle to saidresilient member, and means associated with the resilient member for forcibly tilting the same With respect to the said second circuit terminal member yso as to cause each arm of the fork 'to engage. both walls of thesaid groove.

5. A device set forth in claim 1,'in which the means for securing the resilient member to the support comprise a single fastening element extending through the 'resilient member intermediate of its ends, and in which the engagement of the said forked` end with the contracted shank portion of the circuit terminal serves to Vprevent',rotation. of the resilient member about the said fas-4 tening element.

6. A circuit connection for electric socketsl having a circuit terminal member-provided with a peripheral groove, comprising-a,suba stantiallyl right-angled member having one end thereof forked to v rovide aipair of arms' adapted to engage wit in thegroove of said terminal member upon oppositesides'of :its longitudinal axis, and means assoclatedwith' said connection lwhereby to flex the same and. cause each of the arms ofthe forked end4 to contact with the opposite walls of said groove. i

.7; A circuit connection for electric sockets having a circuit terminal member prof' videdwith a peripheral groove, comprising a member having one end thereof forked to provide a pair of arms adapted to en'- gage within said groove upon opposite sides of its longitudinal axis, said 'member being crimped adjacent the forked end whereby cuit terminals in-rigidl; spaced .disposition,

and a connectingmem r formed lof resilient metal and secured to the'lsu'pport intermediate its ends and having one end disposed to engage the contactfof a lamp bulb,

the connecting member having at its other end a fork -straddling the shank portion of the second named terminal, said fork being disposed at an angle to the main portion of the connecting member and being of less thickness than the distance between the said shoulders, the shape of the connecting member and the position 4of Athe securing -of the connecting member to the support being such as to flex the part of the said member between the said securing portion and Vthe forked end, thereby forcing two' longitudinally spaced portions ,y

of each tineof the forked end respectively against the said two shoulders.

9. A circuit connection for electric sockets, said connection comprising a circuit terminalemember providedwith spaced confronting shoulders, al conducting member bent at substantially .right angles having one end thereof formed to engage the contact of 'a lamp bulb and its opposite endforked to provide a pair of arms, said forked end being crimped and disposed atl-,an 'angle to the axis of theterminal member and enilrg faces `of the shoulders 'of said terminal member, and vmeans intermediate the ends of said conducting vmember whereby to,se

igaged on `its opposite faces bythe confrontcure athe samein osition u on a su ort.

Signedv at. Detroit, Michigan, February 20th, ,1925. 4 i

i' 4CHARLES E. GODLE-Y.

se said shank portion with respect to the Said 

